News & Insights

Adena Johnston, PhD: Doctor of Management in Strategic Leadership

Posted
May 4, 2018

Career Partners International (CPI) is proud to announce the academic achievement of a key team member. Yes, Adena Johnston, Vice President and Practice Leader for CCI, a Career Partners International firm in Greater Philadelphia, has completed the requirements for the Doctor of Management in Strategic Leadership and will formally receive her degree and doctoral honors on May 6th from Thomas Jefferson University.

Johnston is a part of the school’s first graduating cohort and is thrilled to be a contributing member of the program. Johnston articulates, “Being the first cohort of a program is an opportunity to blaze the trail for others and to conduct research that is both relevant for leaders facing disruption and for practitioners who devote time and attention to organizational development. My research applied a design thinking and systems thinking intervention to re-envision talent management for the 4th Industrial Revolution. The results showed that applying my practitioner-method helps pave the way for organizations to compete in a rapidly shifting landscape.”

As a Practice Leader for Talent Development, Adena knows that talent management is a complex blend of many factors and that organizations that get it right proudly demonstrate their high performance. The research that Adena completed will enable her team to not only examine deeper leadership development channels, but also assist clients in leading the change that organizations need to become successful in the future. “CPI is a very client-centric organization. We are routinely asked to consult on issues of organizational concern such as employee engagement and enhancing the employee experience. There is a lot of conjecture about the future world of work. Adena’s research gives us a validated view of what leaders predict and what the related emerging issues may be. Creating innovative and strategic programs to pave the way forward for our clients is our goal,” states Sharon Imperiale, President of CCI.

Adena is a highly skilled consultant; in addition to her recent doctoral studies in leadership strategy, she holds a M.S. in Organizational Dynamics from the University of Pennsylvania as well as certification as an Organizational Consultant and Executive Coach. In addition to her academic credentials, she is an adjunct professor teaching Sociology, Culture in the Workplace, Psychology, Leadership and Organizational Development. Adena’s expertise is as vast as her desire to assist clients with developing and reaching all their goals.